The present invention relates, in general, to electronic components, and more particularly, to electronic components that place a lens at a fixed distance from an optical device.
Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) are one type of optical device that is widely used in the electronics industry. A VCSEL is a semiconductor device that generates light at a particular wavelength or a band of wavelengths when the VCSEL is in operation (i.e., electrically active). This type of optical device is typically mounted into a package that is commonly referred to as a "metal can" to protect the VCSEL. This nomenclature comes from the fact that VCSEL devices are frequently encapsulated in an Kovar/mild steel cap that has a lens opposite the VCSEL. As an example, one type of "metal can" package used in the industry is the TO-56 package. The specifications of TO-56 and similar packages are defined for the electronic industry by the Joint Electronics Design Engineering Council (JDEC).
"Metal can" packages are both an expensive and sometimes unreliable method for packaging optical devices. In particular, the "metal can" is formed by shaping Kovar/mild steel into a cap shape and then an optical lens is mounted to the cap. This process is very time consuming and represents a significant portion of the manufacturing cost of optical devices. In addition, the exact alignment of the lens relative to the VCSEL is critical in determining the performance of the optical component.
Accordingly, a need exists to package electronic components such as optical devices that is both less expensive and more reliable than existing "metal can" packages.